Movies Based On Ed & Lorraine Warren Cases To Watch After 'The Conjuring'

Although not part of the 'Conjuring' series, the 2009 Peter Cornwell film is based on one of Ed and Lorraine Warren's cases, but they don't actually feature as characters in the film.

In 'The Haunting In Connecticut' we meet the Campbell family, who have just moved into a new rented home in Southington, Connecticut. Over the course of the movie the family make the grim discovery that the house was once used as a funeral parlour. The house's dark past starts to torment the family, especially the couple's son, Matt.

The Campbells' story is based on the real life case of Allen and Carmen Snedeker who, like in the movie, moved into a rented house with their four children in 1986. It's claimed that the house's basement was used as a mortuary, something that was mirrored in the film.

The family claim that they were victim to a violent haunting that focussed on their eldest son, but spread to other family members. Most disturbing of all is the claim that both parents were physically assaulted by the evil presence that lingered in the house.

Apparently Ed and Lorraine brought in Ray Garton, a horror novelist, to write about the Snedekers' story for their 1992 book, 'In A Dark Place: The Story Of A True Haunting'. As Garton got deeper into the story, things didn't seem to add up to him, and when the book was released he challenged the fact that it was labelled as non-fiction and stated that the story wasn't true.

In 1977, Jay Anson published his book 'The Amityville Horror' which was based on a real life haunting, this spawned the 1979 horror classic. Although there's no 'Conjuring' movie directly based on the case, at the beginning of 'The Conjuring 2' we're reacquainted with the Warrens during the final throws of the Amityville case.

The case revolved around George and Kathleen Lutz who were tormented by malevolent entities after moving into a Dutch Colonial with their three children. They were eventually driven from the house, which was situated in a suburban neighbourhood in Amityville in New York State.

Before the Lutzes moved in, the house was the scene of a mass murder. A 23-year-old former resident was convicted for the shooting of his parents and siblings.

The Warrens were heavily involved in the case, they heard first-hand accounts of the happenings from the residents. The case is mentioned in their 1989 book, 'Ghost Hunters'. In the ten-page chapter on Amityville, Ed states "there's no other explanation for what happened there" other than demonic forces. Although they were involved in the case, Ed and Lorraine do not feature in the movie.

'The Haunted' is a 1991 television movie based around the real-life case of the Smurl family of Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Unlike the other films in this list Ed and Lorraine do appear in the film, portrayed by Stephen Markle and Diane Baker. As well as this, Lorraine actually makes a cameo in the film as a news reporter who faints.

In the film, the family begin experiencing strange things after moving into their new home on Chase Street. It starts off with dark shadows moving around the house, and a black stain on the wall that keeps reappearing after being cleaned away.

Eventually it becomes clear that they are being plagued by demons and they begin to experience physical attacks at the hands of the invisible entities. This eventually leads the family to contact the Warrens for help.